Outstanding Small Consultancy
CIPR PRide Midlands Awards 2009
- Girlbands *always* have the worst names which kinda makes me… By Doodvid on 08 November 2011
- Bostin post! By Tom Pipkin on 23 September 2011
- Excellent work - I'll attend the awards if you think… By Lee Poultney on 25 October 2010
- Thanks Alex! Hope all is well with you x By Ruth Pipkin on 16 September 2010
- Well done Ruth and the team ... congrats x By Alex Abbotts on 16 September 2010
Are we a nation of food racists?
03rd September 2010. Posted by Katie White. Trackback
Image courtesy of MousseFromScato
Discrimination and racism are topics that are widely discussed in the public arena; topics that have been pushed to the forefront by political red tape and our subsequent obsession with political correctness. The most bizarre story I have ever read about racism was the fact that some young school children were asked to sing ‘Baa Baa Rainbow sheep’ instead of its ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep’ predecessor. However, one aspect that you do not often hear about, and something I had not thought about until now, was the idea of racism associated with more inanimate objects – such as food.
If you head over to the news stories section of the Rewired website you will see a survey that Lasan conducted recently into people’s perceptions of cuisine and dining – it makes for interesting reading. Although we are all in agreement that Indian food is the nation’s favourite, the general public are not happy to fork out for it (excuse the pun). When asked to rank certain qualities you would expect from a restaurant, such as food, service and expense of ingredients; French cuisine consistently came top whilst Indian food remained at the bottom of the pile below British, Italian and Thai to name a few.
Everyone that I have spoken to so far has had one of those ‘lightbulb’ moments as soon as I mention this, agreeing that, “Actually, I had never thought of that but I am less likely to pay out for a fine dining experience at an Indian restaurant.”
Why is it that we are all happy to eat Indian cuisine but not so happy to pay for it? Is it because there is a stereotype that Indian cuisine is not high quality? Many of the respondents of the survey believed that the ingredients used in Indian food were much cheaper than at other restaurants, and of a much lesser quality. That could not be further from the truth. Indian restaurants face exactly the same overheads as other restaurants and in fact, often use more ingredients in a much more complex process.
Perhaps, as was suggested by Tom in the office, it is the fact that Indian restaurants have developed a stereotypical image of being fast food outlets. The kind of place “you would grab a curry at the end of a night out” rather than take a loved one on a special occasion.
Or perhaps there is a tendency towards food racism; maybe it does just come down to snobbery that we would pick a European restaurant over an Indian. This should not be the case and Lasan Restaurant, in Birmingham, is attempting to highlight this issue to start breaking down our incorrect beliefs and to start changing the way we feel and behave towards fine Indian cuisine. After all, they did win Best Local Restaurant on Gordon Ramsay’s The F Word, where they went head-to-head with a whole host of worldwide cuisines.
For more information and the full survey results visit www.lasan.tv
